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Vulcan
The Vulcans are a humanoid species widely known for their logical minds and stoic culture. The Vulcan homeworld was the planet Vulcan until its destruction in 2258, at which point most surviving Vulcans emigrated to the planet New Vulcan. As a civilization, Vulcans were instrumental in the founding of the United Federation of Planets. History and Politics Culturally one of the most fascinating species in the Federation, the Vulcans were once an extremely violent and emotional people (even by Earth standards) who waged almost constant warfare on one another. They believed in a variety of gods, such as war, peace and death. As their level of technology improved, the Vulcans eventually reached a point where their violent nature threatened species extinction. In an effort to avoid this fate, a Vulcan named Surak developed a new philosophy thereby igniting the Time of Awakening. Surak maintained that the root cause of all the problems on Vulcan lay in the uncontrolled outpouring of the people's emotions. His followers swore to live their lives by an ethical system devised by Surak and based purely on logical principles. Emotions were to be controlled and repressed. Ancient History Much of Vulcan pre-history is a mixture of myth and legends, one of which states that their race was seeded by The Preservers (though it is more likely that their race is the source of several Preserver-seeded worlds). Another myth speaks of the Vhorani, who were known as the Ancient Ones, who came from the Wellspring of Creation known as Vorta Vor. Once they reached the harsh world that was the planet Vulcan, they created the Vulcan species. Among the Vulcan species, it was widely believed that the first of their kind, known as The Wanderer, was the one who developed speech and the first word. These same primitive Vulcans witnessed the intense damage done to their world by a solar flare which wiped out much of the planet's surface and transform it into later its desert form. Early in Vulcan history their planet was occupied by the demonic Furies, who ruled much of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. The Fury of Vulcan was recorded by the testimoy of many witnesses when a Vulcan warrior known as Torkas of the Vehm killed 97 of his own village through the use of a leaf bladed Toth spear before he was killed. Ok'San was the most of the despised of all the demonic Furies. The Furies left Vulcan when they met the Unclean menace, and knowledge of the Furies disappeared. At one point during ancient Vulcan history, their world was invaded by a race of Non-corporeal entities that relished in causing death and destruction. As non-corporeal beings, conventional means were incapable of killing them. Fortunately, the Vulcan Sajik created the Sword of Sajik, which was used to slay many of the creatures, eventually driving them away from Vulcan. Early Vulcan also developed several advanced psionic technologies, including Psionic Weapons such as the Tol par-doj and Vorl-tak. Most of these technologies were lost during the Time of Awakening. During these early periods, tribes of Vulcans were known to have consisted of skilled warrior cultures. The arid climate of their home world was conductive to accuracy over long distances though the heavier gravity led to some challenges. However, those that learned to shoot an arrow on Vulcan were capable of using the skill easily on other worlds. As early as the 3rd Century Vulcans had the capacity for space travel. One group of Vulcans from this time crash landed on the planetoid Darien 224 where they formed the Last-of-all-Cities colony. They remained isolated there for two millennia. The Vulcans were one of the first of the current galactic powers to develop warp drive, though a century would pass between the first warp flight and the breaking of the warp 2 barrier. Most of these technologies would be lost during the wars that led to the Time of Awakening. The Time of Awakening By the 4th Century the Vulcans had developed a violent culture - Vulcan was subject to violence and war as the Vulcan people fought one another in countless battles that stained the sand of the deserts with their green blood. Wars would arise from either conquest or need for water resources, which were scarce on the planet. The best-recorded of the Vulcan warlords was the tyrant Sudoc, who gained power by assassinating the previous ruling leader. Using his powerful psionic abilities and skilled tactical mind, he led his vicious barbarian armies in campaigns that dominated most of the homeworld. Those who resisted would be slaughtered and those who fell under his rule would be subject to telepathic "adjustments" to make them loyal. It was in this time that a young Vulcan boy was born in the city state of ShiKahr, known as Surak. His home city was one of Sudoc's chief rivals and he attempted to assassinate the ruling generals which included members of Surak's family. Surak became a skilled computer scientist, but his creations were used as weapons of war, which provoked Surak into developing the goals of logic and peace. Surak's new beliefs spread across Vulcan and took hold in the populace. The warlords began to lose power and the captured territories of Sudoc began to fracture as his empire began to disintegrate. Sudocs rule and empire finally ended with the tyrant's death, though members of his loyal cadre that did survive formed the Children of Ket-Cheleb which were led by the warrior Tellus. Although this new philosophy spread rapidly across Vulcan, a minority, many of whom were known as "those who march beneath the Raptor's wings", rejected Surak's ideals. A destructive war began, including the use of atomic weaponry. Among the victims was Surak himself. It was also known that at some point, thousands of years ago, a group of rational men who helped found the new Vulcan philosophy of logic decided to seek perfection by developing a method of removing their emotions and sealing them within bottles. However, this process diminished the soul of the individual and thus the device that accomplished this was destroyed. Instead, they devoted their life to teaching the value of logic instead. The bottles that contained the removed emotions survived through the centuries and in honor of their mentors, the Vulcan people created a shrine on the planet Beta IV where the artifacts remained hidden in Room 101 where they were meant to be preserved for all of time. First Contact In the climate that followed, the Vulcan people were still fractured into various groups while Surak spread his message. It was at this time that the species made their first contact with another form of life - the Etosha who appeared at Shikahr before the assembled delegates as a peaceful race. While appearing as kind strangers from the heavens, the Etoshans were pirates that used deception as a tactic to capture slaves and hold planetary leaders for ransom. They took hold of numerous leaders along with Surak's student S'task. Surak himself was spared this fate due to transportation difficulties at a port facility which prevented him from attending the meeting. What followed this event in known as "the Ahkh", also known as the War. This action reduced all previous conflicts to simple skirmishes as the Vulcan species worked to defeat the invaders. S'task proved instrumental in this move as he liberated many of his kinsmen and killed thousands of pirates in his escape from their vessels. While primitive compared to the advanced technology of the pirates, the Vulcans had a well-developed skill in the psionic arts which allowed them to unravel the metal ships of the enemy or set their pilots on suicidal courses. Through such actions, Vulcan was finally freed from the invaders that had terrorized them. The Sundering Despite the changes spreading across Vulcan numerous opposing groups still existed, such as the Northeastern Alliance, the Southern Hegemony and the Te-Vikram Brotherhood, which threatened to further destabilize the planet and bring about the death of Vulcan-kind. Eventually, however, those who opposed logic left Vulcan and founded colonies elsewhere - most notably on the planet ch'Rihan, where they founded what eventually became the Rihannsu Star Empire. At some point in history, the Rihannsu and the Vulcans engaged in a hundred-year long war against one another. The war was instigated by the actions of a member of the Q Continuum. Another group that rejected Surak's philosophy was known as the "V'tosh ka'tur" or "Vulcans without logic". The V'tosh ka'tur believed in controlling emotions by allowing themselves to actively experience them rather than suppressing them. Many of these also left Vulcan, and took up a nomadic existence. The Age Of Expansion With the departure of the more violent element of Vulcan society the remainder of the Vulcan people were left to flourish in a new era of peace and logic. The new Vulcan space age saw limited expansion within their own solar system; however, none of the other planets in the 40 Eridani A system were habitable on the level of the Vulcan homeworld. The Vulcan's limited space technologies took a great leap when the scientist T'Vran rediscovered the secrets of warp drive in 1440. Unmanned automated probes were first used which were successful enough that T'Vran herself participated in a manned flight. This sparked a new age for the Vulcan people, who would produce exploratory vessels to travel space, catapulting the Vulcan civilization across the stars. The Vulcans soon established colonies on worlds such as T'Khut, Kethri and Mevet. Early contacts with numerous primitive races which turned violent provoked the Vulcan belief in remaining hidden from such races until they "matured" or developed themselves. This would later form the initial basis for the Prime Directive. Guiding Humanity The Vulcans also kept sight on the planet Earth for some time, though they did not attempt to make first contact with the native Human species. In 1908, an uncrewed Vulcan robot probe prevented a cometary fragment from wiping out half of central Europe by diverting the body in order to force it to explode over an uninhabited region of Siberia (An incident known to Humans as the Tunguska Event). Though unaware of this activity, between 1955 to 2018, there were at least eighteen legitimate two dimensional photographs taken of the Vulcan probe ships. However, they were without exception dismissed as being frauds and hoaxes. The official first contact between Vulcans and Humans came on 5 April, 2063 when the Vulcan survey ship T'Plana-Hath detected the warp flight of Zefram Cochrane's Phoenix. The Vulcans met with Cochrane at his launch site in Bozeman, Montana the day following the flight. With their new Human allies, the Vulcan High Command established the Vulcan Advisory Council which coordinated with United Earth Starfleet Command and monitored Earth's progress. The Vulcans refused to provide their technology to Earth, which resulted in Earth's first warp five starship launching a century after Humanity first developed warp technology. For some Humans this was a source of much resentment; they believed that the Vulcans had impeded their progress. The Vulcan High Command considered Humans volatile and similar to Vulcans before the Time of Awakening, and so attempted to slow down humanity's move into the galaxy until the time was right. 22nd Century By the 22nd Century, the Vulcans had also made contact with the Cardassians, Trill, Tholians, Klingons, and scores of other races. In contrast to their tradition of peaceful exploration, the Vulcans also had a long history of border skirmishes with the neighboring Andorians. Humans helped negotiate a peace between the two over the disputed Class D planetoid, known to the Vulcans as Paan Mokar. In the 22nd century, the Vulcan High Command, once in charge only of space exploration and planetary defense, gained much more control over civilian affairs. Under the High Command's leadership, Vulcan policy toward other planets became more aggressive and interventionist, using the ancient monastery at P'Jem to spy on Andorian activities. Vulcan reformation Inside the Vulcan government, power would grow within the hands of the Vulcan High Command with Administrator V'Las attempting to persecute the new Syrrannite movement. By 2154, V'Las attempted to provoke a war with the Andorian Empire stating that intelligence had gathered evidence of the Andorians using Xindi technology to create a superweapon which would be used to destroy Vulcan. Trying to frame the Syrranites V'Las had the Earth Embassy on Vulcan bombed, which brought the Enterprise to Vulcan to investigate. Not long after the Enterprise discovered the truth of the matter and Commander Charles Tucker III and Ambassador Soval went to warn the Andorians of the impending invasion. Meanwhile on Vulcan, Captain Archer discovered the Kir'Shara. With V'Las's deception uncovered he was forced from power, while the discovery of the Kir'Shara brought about a new age in Vulcan history as the Vulcan people rediscovered the true uncorrupted teachings of Surak. The Federation In 2155 the Vulcan government signed the Coalition Compact which made them officially part of the Coalition of Planets, alongside Earth, Andoria and Tellar. In 2161 the Coalition worlds joined together to from the United Federation of Planets. 23rd Century As of the 23rd century, Vulcan had never been conquered in its collective memory. That memory goes so far back that Vulcans were incapable of conceiving of a conqueror. Unfortunately, their homeworld would become the greatest victim of genocide in recent memory, when on stardate 2258.210 (2258.42 in the old system), the planet was destroyed by the Narada, commanded by the vengeful Rihannsu Nero, who was attempting to avert a future in which ch'Rihan was destroyed in 2387. Six billion Vulcans died in the loss of their homeworld. Indeed, only 10,000 Vulcans made it away from the planet before its destruction. After Nero's defeat, it was revealed that a version of Starfleet officer Spock also traveled back from the same alternate future as the Narada, and this Ambassador Spock was instrumental in founding the colony of New Vulcan, which became the new capital of the Confederacy of Vulcan. After the loss of their homeworld, and despite the enmity between the Federation and the Rihannsu Star Empire, many Vulcans began to attempt to forge a more cordial relationship with their cousins, ultimately hoping to reunify the two cultures. Ambassador Spock was instrumental in this effort, and in 2325, ch'Rihan joined the Federation. Over the next few decades, most of the planets in their former empire joined as well. Today, the Vulcans remain among the principal Federation members, and are deeply involved in all levels of that society. Their tradition of exploration has continued, despite their sparse numbers. Splinter Species The Vulcans had the capacity for space travel since at least the 3rd Century and have spread throughout local space. At least one Vulcan colony was lost from the Vulcan people: the Last-of-all-Cities colony on Darien 224, which remained isolated from the galactic community for two millennia. Species that are off-shoots of the Vulcans include: *Fri'slen *Debrune *Mintakan *Rihannsu *Reman *Vulcanoid Rigelian *Watraii Physiology Genetically, Vulcans and Humans are similar enough that they can produce offspring without any problems. Externally, Vulcans are generally similar to Humans, the chief exceptions being the Vulcans' notably arched and upswept eyebrows and distinguished external ear structure, the top of which tapers into a clearly defined point. Most Vulcans have straight, glossy dark brown or (more commonly) black hair and pale skin with a very subtle greenish tinge. However, some Vulcans have brown skin, tightly coiled black hair, and physiognomic features similar to those found in Humans of African descent. Vulcans have body hair similar to Humans, and some males can be very hirsute. Vulcan males are also capable of growing facial hair, but rarely do so. Vulcans possess teeth that Humans do not have. These include anterior tricuspids, and posterior tricuspids. In contrast to their external similarities, Vulcan internal anatomy differs radically from that of Humans. For instance, their heart is where a Human's liver would normally be and beats several hundred times per minute. They also have no appendix. Vulcan blood is copper-based and is copper-colored when deoxygenated in the veins and green when oxygenated in the arteries. Bruises and dermal abrasions therefore take on a green color. Vulcan body chemistry uses little sodium chloride compared to that of Humans. Vulcans evolved a highly efficient respiratory system to extract the oxygen they need from Vulcan's thin atmosphere. They are most comfortable in high temperatures, which is natural given the hot, arid climate of their former homeworld. The Vulcan digestive tract is highly adaptable. Although alien foods, notably Human food, will occasionally disagree with a Vulcan, given time, their body will eventually adapt to the alien food. Vulcan hearing is very sensitive. Vulcan females possess a heightened sense of smell. Having evolved on a planet which is mostly desert, Vulcans have developed ways of surviving in desert conditions. For example, they can survive for several days without water and have inner eyelids which protect their eyes. Vulcans have a superior metabolism to Humans. Caffeine and sapotoxins have little effect on them. They are also capable of surviving for long durations without food or sleep; Under stress, Vulcans can do without sleep for weeks. Vulcans are on average three times physically stronger than Humans, and have considerably faster reflexes. Vulcans are very sensitive to Nitrous Oxide gas, which rapidly renders them unconscious. Vulcans typically have a lifespan of two hundred years or more. The brain Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Vulcan physiology is the brain. The Vulcan brain has been described as "a puzzle, wrapped inside an enigma, housed inside a cranium." This has some basis in fact, as the Vulcan brain is composed of many layers. It is in direct control of most of the bodily functions, acting as a control unit for many organs. Despite this, a Vulcan body from which the brain has been removed is capable of functioning and even walking around (albeit in a zombie-like state) with a portable life support system. Unlike most humanoid species, traumatic memories are not only psychologically disturbing to Vulcans, but have physical consequences as well. The Vulcan brain, in reordering neural pathways, can literally lobotomize itself. Vulcans have learned to gain conscious control of many of these functions, allowing them to regulate their bodies to a high degree by simple will power. When injured a Vulcan can go into a trance-like state, using this ability to concentrate all of his or her energy onto repairing the injury. This trance can be self-induced and give the physical appearance of near-death. It is similar, in principle, to Vulcan neuropressure techniques which can be used to relax the mind and body. The substance Trellium-D acts as a neurotoxin to Vulcans, destroying the neural pathways which control their emotions. Treatment must be provided quickly after exposure, otherwise the damage is irreversible. The most famous aspect of the Vulcan brain is the inherent telepathic abilities, such as the Vulcan Mind Meld. Vulcans are natural touch-telepaths. Though considerable training is required to utilize this ability to the fullest (this would be performing the fal-tor-pan), simpler contacts do not require any concentration, training or even conscious knowledge of the act. Stronger minds are capable of non-contact telepathic projection and scanning, usually over short distances, but sometimes even over interstellar distances. Another psionic ability of the Vulcan race is the telepathic suggestion/compulsion. Although Vulcans do not, typically, allow themselves to experience uncontrolled strong emotions, they may sense them in others. Besides the Trill, who achieve this through the zhian'tara ritual, Vulcans are the only other known humanoid race capable of performing a synaptic pattern displacement, or the transfer of one individual's consciousness into another. Some Vulcans have also demonstrated the ability known as telekinesis. The psycho-suppression system responsible for the Vulcan suppression of emotions is located in the mesiofrontal cortex. Approximately every seven years, adult Vulcans must endure Pon Farr, the Vulcan mating period. It is marked by intense emotions and primal urges (known as plak tow, or "blood fever") that can kill the Vulcan if not satisfied. Physiological symptoms include elevated dopamine levels and fever. For such an orderly society of quiet sobriety, the madness which accompanies the outbreak of pon farr is an unavoidable evil. Medical conditions There are several diseases that the Vulcan species suffers from which include: *Bendii syndrome *Choriocytosis *LV-132 *Myrruthesia *Pa'nar Syndrome *Skag Maug plague *Tuvan Syndrome *Vulcans scourge *Vulcan flu *Oroborus virus Culture and Society The government on Vulcan is a representative democracy. Individual political advancement is based on meritocratic principles. For an intensely logical race, the Vulcans do have spiritual beliefs. Though little is known about the details, their religious system is polytheistic. They also believe in the Katra, the soul and consciousness of a person, which can be transferred psionically prior to death. Vulcans are generally non-violent, but logic dictates that combat is sometimes necessary. Vulcans can and do use weapons and practice martial arts called "Tal-shaya", and "Suus Mahna". Most modern Vulcans are vegetarians. Vulcans are known for their high degree of honesty. They are extremely reluctant to tell a lie, and indeed it is said that "Vulcans cannot lie". However, they will do so for what they perceive as logical reasons, though they rarely refer to their dishonesty as "lying." Development of a Vulcan's life of logic begins at a young age. Vulcan parents will utilize learning tools to train their infants in primary logic. Vulcan children will then learn to detach themselves from their emotions at an early age. Despite this early training in logic, Vulcan children in nursery school are allowed to dance. As parents, Vulcans never shield their children from the truth. Doing so would only hinder their ability to cope with inevitable difficulties. A Vulcan parent's attachment to their children cannot be described as an emotion. They are part of the parent's identity and the parent is incomplete without them. Vulcans sometimes have mates chosen for them by their parents at the age of seven. The mates are joined in a ceremony that links them telepathically that is "less than a marriage, more than a betrothal". When the two come of age and undergo the pon farr, the link compels them to follow through with full marital rituals, which cement their relationship. If, for whatever reason, the female does not wish to go through with the marriage, then the ceremony of koon-ut-kal-if-fee ("marriage or challenge") is invoked. The male must fight for the right to keep his mate against a challenger of her choosing. The female becomes the mate of the male who wins the contest, unless he chooses to release her. The koon-ut-kal-if-fee is a fight to the death. Contrary to stereotype, Vulcans do possess emotions; indeed, Vulcan emotions are far more intense, violent and passionate than those of many other species, including even humans. It was this passionate, explosive emotionality that Vulcans blamed for the vicious cycle of wars which nearly devastated their planet. As such, they have focused their mental energies on mastering them. The essence of their logical society is in arriving at the truth through logical process. Emotions are illogical, thus making them impure, and deterrent to truth. Vulcans are born with the same emotions that afflicted their violent ancestors, but continual mental conditioning generally gives them the impassivity they seek. Though not all can arrive at the ultimate pure logical state, the exacting process of mental control gives Vulcans enough to conform to the ideals of Vulcan society. The ultimate level of logical thought is achieved through the attainment of Kolinahr, which is said to purge them of all remaining emotions. Vulcans believe knowledge to be the best defense against unknown dangers, and pursue them with the intellect and logic that makes them some of the finest scholars in the Federation. Vulcans consider death to be the completion of a journey. Therefore, they do not fear it happening, however the loss of one's katra is to be avoided if possible, since the katra lives on beyond the physical death. Logic Founded by an ancient Vulcan named Surak, the essence of Vulcan society is in arriving at the truth through logical process. Most Vulcans believe that emotions are illogical, thus making them impure, and deterrent to truth. However, Vulcans are born with the same emotions that afflicted their violent ancestors, but the continual mind conditioning, the t'an s'at, gives them the impassivity sought after by all Vulcans. The t'an s'at is an intellectual decontruction of emotional patterns, a lifelong process that strives for absolute detachment from all emotion. Though not all can arrive at the ultimate pure logical state, the exacting process of mental control gives Vulcans enough to conform to the ideals of Vulcan society. Vulcans of this creed are impervious to greed, deception, anger, and all other vices. The majority of Vulcans follow a belief in logic known as Cthia and some aim to achieve a state without emotion known as Kolinahr. This philosophy meant that they relied on logic and reason to guide their lives, rather than emotion. All expression of emotions was considered taboo, negative or otherwise. This did not mean that Vulcans had cast away all emotions they once had; they had merely made a choice not to let those emotions influence the decisions they were making. This led to the mistaken belief amongst other species that Vulcans had no emotions which they did possess though they did not permit those emotions to show in public or allow them to control their actions. Few Vulcans managed to extinguist all their emotions but most had mastered the ability to contain them. This went in line with Vulcan philosophy that their race had adopted which stated that there was no reason why any emotion should have any influence on behavior or cloud the path of logic. Curiousity was one emotion which Vulcans admitted and even approved. It must be noted that this stance is not accepted by all Vulcans, however. There are groups of Vulcans referred to as "v'tosh ka'tur", which means "Vulcans without logic." The Rihanna (literally, "The Declared") were originally a group of Vulcans who chose to split away rather than accept the philosophy of Surak. In addition to this, many Vulcan's can subscribe to the different teachings of other philosophers such as Jarok, Nirak, or T'Mor. One Vulcan saying is "The Vulcan knows there is a time for everything" which is an approximate translation from the Kahr-y-Tan ("Way of the Vulcan"). An aspect of this is the herb gathering ritual which Vulcans engage in which is where they collect necessary herbs in preparation of tea for Vulcan Masters. Something of noted importance within Vulcan society was the discovery of the Kir'Shara by Captain Jonathan Archer and Commander T'Pol which brought at end of the rule of the Vulcan High Command. This also sparked a rapid change within Vulcan society which moved from a government that would engage in spying, battles and a more active part in the galaxy to one of more peaceful and sometimes almost isolationist tendencies. The discovery of the Kir'Shara presumably led to many years of study which the Vulcans concentrated on rather then follow the behaviour they had previously. Mythology Though this is the case now, the early Vulcans believed in a wide range of myths that spread across the surface of their homeworld before the age of Surak. Such beliefs include the Treasury of Erebus that spoke of an ice demon living within the snow at the peak of Mount Seleya. Another myth spoke of the Eater of Souls which would devour the souls of travelers lost in the deserts of Vulcan. While other myths spoke of a deadly creature known as the Veruul that lived within the heart of the Fire Plains of Raal within Vulcan's Forge. Furthermore, in the heart of the Womb of Fire was stated to lie Vorta Vor. A pantheon of gods were also present among ancient myths one of which spoke of twin god brothers that were different from one another yet always united and together rose their mother, the sun, into the sky. The names of these god brothers would be adopted by the early Rihanna for their homeworlds. Other gods believed to exist included the gods of peace, death and war which were depicted on the Stone of Gol. In addition, there was the warrior goddess T'Vet who is still worshipped amongst some circles in modern Vulcan. There were a number of other deities within this pantheon which included the goddess Reah who held sway over death and bereavement, a male war god known as Khosarr who had a consort called Akraana, and a red fertility goddess who was known as Lia. Vulcan mythology believed in a place known as Sha Ka Ree which was the Vulcan view of Eden. According to some of the oldest myths of the Vulcan race, that at the end of the universe all of existence was going to be consumed by fire. Family life Vulcans are noted for their more complex family relationships compared to Humans. Such family units consist of the Eldest of House, a matriarch in charge of the affairs of the family. Traditionally, a male Vulcan is not present at the time when their mate is delivering a child. Children when they are usually not given a name until their Naming Day. Similar to the ceremonies surrounding marriage and burial, the Vulcan rituals that concern birth predate the Time of Awakening. Typically, children are betrothed at around seven Earth years of age when they undergo a bonding ceremony which telepathically links the two. As a result the two Vulcans typically seek one another during their pon farr cycle. This parental arrangement dates to ancient times and originally served as a method of preventing wars and strengthening ties between neighbors whose ancestral lands adjoined. Vulcans youths are not allowed to guide the conversations of their elders; this is especially the case if the child in question was not past the age of the Ka nifoor. By the time a Vulcan is an adult, they have learned a set of mind rules which govern their telepathic abilities as well as the necessary skills needed to shield their thoughts from outside emotions. Though ultimately logical creatures, it takes many years of practice and training for young Vulcans, who do demonstrate emotions at first before beginning the long process that was created by Surak centuries ago. To accomplish this, Vulcan parents used learning tools and techniques to train their children in the primary concepts of logic and to gain control over their emotions. Eventually, through these processes young children began to learn emotional control. As part of their belief in honesty, Vulcan parents are known not to shield the truth from their young as they believe it would hinder their development in coping with such difficulties. Furthermore, a parent's attachment to the child is not considered an emotion but rather as part of the parent's identity; without the child, the parent would not be complete. Example of Vulcan Education While Vulcan education varies between clans, the following example (from the rural Lyr Zor clan) is a fairly typical model of the Vulcan learning process. Newborn children unti the age of four are known to take part in visual mathematics, basic calculation, as well as beginning the neurological organization of their brains which is followed by an identity meld. By the time they are four, they begin mathematics and species identification as well as coordinating the use of their physical bodies. Furthermore, algebra, geometry and physics dominate their study life at this time. When they were eight, children begin preliminary telepathic communication and are taught etiquette, their clan's history, Vulcan anthropology, calculus, and quantum physics. When the child is ten, they learn to suppress cortical stimulae in the dominant hemisphere and their races' cultural history and begin a study of Vulcan rites of passage. By the time they are eleven, they learn of the pressure points needed for mind melding, memory accuracy, internal time counting, logic and definition, the principles of analysis, concreteness of thought and physical deportment. These early years of study are expected to continue until the child is between the age of thirteen to fifteen - after which their formal training begins. When formal training begins, the first rite conducted is Tal T'Lee where they are assisted in their meditation by an adept of their clan council. They learn to control their subdominant cortices, which is followed by Dwemish Hi-An where identity isolation is learned, brain control, numbers systems, equations, and multiplication. Afterwards they take part in Enok-Kal Fi Lar, the processes of definition and the concepts of given. Once this was complete (sometime between the age of sixteen and nineteen), the child progresses to An-Prele, in which they learn pain control meditation from a clan council adept. They are also expected to read Essays of Discipline and Analysis of Pseudodoxy as well as segregation of the lobes of their brains. As the child grew older, one of their rights of passage is the Kahs-wan maturity test which is a survival ritual that pre-dates Surak. Once completed, a youth is considered to have taken the first step into adulthood. Between the ages of twenty and twenty-four, a Vulcan is expected to learn of logical paradigms and behavioral modification through the Runes of T'Vish. They also learn to isolate their katra. This continues until the age of twenty-five or so, when the Sele-An-T'Lee is conducted, which comprises of lessons in subdominant brain organization, advanced philosophy and logic, muscle coordination and the control of will. Part of this also includes learning the five steps - the belief discipline, reality awareness, sensory acuteness, visual calculation and fact analysis. There are further readings expected which include Logic and Definition, Equations, Systems of Logic, The Interior and Purpose as Prime Motivator. There were also taught advanced mind meld techniques as part of their training. By the time a Vulcan is thirty-five, they are expected to have conducted the Norn-La-Hal, which involves superior control meditation and neurological organization. Furthermore, importance is placed on the dignity and tradition in Vulcan identity as well as the contemplations of infinity. The final stage of their training is Venlinahr, which is the state most adult Vulcans have attained and involves meditation by individual discretion. There are also further study of Vulcan dharma as well as advanced readings on the mystagogues of Surak, Scorus, T'Enne, T'Vish, Prisu and Seltar. ( ) Society Surak's teachings are the most important philosophical essays in Vulcan history, detailing the use of logic and reason in order to control warring emotions and destructive tendencies. In the beginning, Vulcans used their emotions as a tool, preferring to apply logic to justify their actions rather than use logic to guide their actions. As the race evolved and the teachings of Surak spread, however, the use of various techniques to banish and suppress emotion became more prevalent and Vulcan psychology blossomed. The understanding of one's mind and mental processes as well as one's emotional reactions became a necessity, and psychology was applied not only to one's own actions but also to understanding the actions of others. The foremost psychologists on Vulcan belonged to the religious orders that guided Vulcan society. Surak's school, the largest and most popular sect of Vulcan beliefs, advocates the study and understanding of emotional desires, so that the student could suppress and control them. Constant study of this process, as well as assisting others in achieving mastery of psionics through control of emotion, had caused the devotees of this doctrine to become experts on the workings and common psychological traumas of Vulcan minds. The school of Surak has many techniques which open the mind of a student, perceiving where the student's difficulties and strongest emotions lie and adjusted the mind's processes so that the student can more completely face the emotion and learn to control it. Thus, they are experienced in abnormal psychology as well as the common workings of Vulcan minds. When a Vulcan is unable to control his emotions, his family or colleagues often summon a devotee of Surak to deal with him. When a Vulcan willingly gives in to his emotions, it is one goal of those who followed the doctrines of Surak to help him resolve his problems and rejoin society. One of the most contemplated teachings of Surak was his admonition that one should study reason above all else. He taught that a Vulcan should learn to discern reality both as it seemed to be and as it truly was. This dissection of truth from illusion has spurred Vulcans into intense study of science and mathematics, helping them dissect many of the most complex workings in the universe into logical steps. Patience, temperance and logical observation (truthfulness to the world) are three of the greatest virtues of Vulcan culture and all have great application to scientific reasoning. Vulcans believe that their adherence to this doctrine makes them the foremost scientists in the Federation. Further, the application of these virtues, combined with intense meditation, has given Vulcans great control over their native psionic abilities. They remain unable, however, to control that most famous biological trigger of Vulcan mental abilities, the pon farr. Vulcans are noted for their patience and believe it is a necessity among their species while it was a virtue among Humans. After achieving their belief in logic, the Vulcan people estimated that other races had developed a similar "enlightenment" as well as the belief of peaceful exploration upon achieving warp travel, but this was eventually proven wrong. To compensate with more "emotional" races, they developed a complex behavioral algorithm that would allow them to model as well as predict another beings emotional response that would be calculated mentally. The equations are very difficult to master but the Vulcan people have developed a wide variety in order to compensate for any situation. Most Vulcans learn numerous mental techniques that had been first developed by Surak but over the centuries had been improved upon by generations of philosophers and healers. During times of stress or those that lead to agitation, a Vulcan is capable of calming themselves through the use of a meditation formula. Those that take part in the Kolinahr ritual also learn of calming techniques in order to center themselves during times of emotional turmoil. Concentration is an art that Vulcans learn early. Due to their telepathic nature, the Vulcans have a number of mind rules in place over the governance and use of these powers. One such technique allows its adept to take the pain of another being and drew strength from it. This ancient discipline is forbidden in modern Vulcan society as it was misused by many who sought to impose their will upon others allowing them to brainwash individuals to become loyal servants. Rituals *Kolinahr *Fal-tor-pan *Pon farr **Koon-ut-so'lik **Plak tow **Kal-if-fee **Koon-ut-kal-if-fee *Fal-tor-voh *Fullara *Rite of Tal'oth Recreational *Kal-toh *Keethara *Vulcan neuropressure Holidays *Kal Rekk *Rumarie *Tal-Shanar Martial Arts *Kareel-ifla *Ke-tarya-yatar *Lan-dovna *Ponn-ifla *Suus Mahna *Tal-Shaya *Taroon-ifla *V'Shan Artifacts *Stone of Gol *Kir'Shara *Stone of J'Kah *Katric ark (also known as a Vre'katra or Urn of Memory) Foods adronn feltara • ''anwoa'' sprout • b'lltarr • ''bertakk'' soup • c'torr • farr-kahli • filrak • ''forati'' sauce • gespar • iced fruit • ihntya' • kahri-torrafeiaca • kalafruit • kleetanta • kreyla • lirs • L-Lersa • mia-zed • m'lu • n'gaan • plomeek • ''plomeek'' broth • ''plomeek'' soup • saffir • soltar • t'coraca • ''t'miirq'' soup • ''t'mirak'' rice • tolik • ''tono'pak'' soup • ''ulan'' soup • ''vranto'' salad • wafer fruit Beverages *relen tea *kasa juice People Vulcans do possess family names, although they are pronounceable by Humans only after many years of practice. Thus, they rarely use them in official matters, choosing instead to maintain single-name forms for the sake of simplicity. *List of Vulcans Sources *Vulcan @ Memory Alpha *Vulcan @ Memory Beta Category:Species Category:Vulcans Category:United Federation of Planets